Bird Slams ‘Pathetic’ Merstham After Defeat To Ten-Man Dorking

Merstham manager Hayden Bird was fuming with his side’s ‘pathetic disgrace’ of a performance after they lost 2-1 at home to Dorking Wanderers, who played almost 80 minutes of the match with ten men.

When the visitors’ Jerome Beckles was sent off for a stamp in the 12th minute, the Moatsiders might have thought they were in for an easy afternoon, particularly when Ryan Hall soon put them in front.

But a woeful second half performance from Merstham allowed Dorking back into the game as Thomas Tolfrey equalised just after the hour and then Chris Boulter struck the match winner seven minutes from time.

The result left boss Bird seething as his side dropped to 14th.

“I don’t think disappointment gets near it. It was an embarrassment, a disgrace and it’ll be some players last day,” he told Back Of The Net.

“From start to finish they were a pathetic disgrace. They moved away from the strategies of the football club, they didn’t do anything that we worked on the training, they didn’t play to my philosophies and I’m not prepared to tolerate that.

“If you can’t pass the ball against ten men, who are not the best ten men in the world, let’s be fair this is not a top team we’re playing, a team that are acclimatising to this level. If they pass the ball that badly, if they don’t play to my principles, if they can’t defend the penalty area, you’ll lose every week.